Foster's Boys Hockey Dream Team: Strong season for area hockey teams

Tuesday

May 27, 2014 at 3:15 AM

By Al Pikeapike@fosters.com

DOVER — Spaulding’s Brent Phillips winning player of the year honors in Division II and St. Thomas Aquinas earning the top seed in the Division I tournament highlighted the local high school hockey season in 2013-14.

Noble/Wells had another fine year, winning a home playoff game before losing to the No. 1 seed in the semifinals of the regional tournament.

St. Thomas and Dream Team coach of the year Andrew Leach reached the D-I semifinals, and Spaulding made it to the D-II semis for the third year in a row.

St. Thomas and Dover have three players apiece on the Dream Team while Noble/Wells and Berwick Academy each have two.

The team was picked by the Foster’s sports staff with nominations, statistics and other input provided by area coaches.

Brent Phillips

Spaulding

The senior played both ends of the ice in being named Division II player of the year.

He finished with 33 goals and 17 assists for 50 points with a plus-43 rating. Phillips also had seven game-winning goals and five short-handed goals as one of the Red Raiders’ top penalty killers.

He ranks third all-time in scoring at Spaulding behind only Eric Royal and Jamie Ferullo.

“(Phillips) was selected as player of the year by the Division II coaches for not only his level of play, but his leadership skills,” said Spaulding coach Paul George.

Andrew Leach

St. Thomas

The former University of New Hampshire player led the Saints to the No. 1 seed in the Division I tournament. They boasted the top line in the state with Glenn Wiswell, Niall Foster and Ty Turgeon.

St. Thomas lost to eventual champion Manchester Central in the semifinals.

“It was nice to finish as the top seed although the playoffs did not turn out the way we wanted,” Leach said. “The team should be proud of finishing the regular season as the top seed. Overall, it was a good year with a tough finish.”

Glenn Wiswell

St. Thomas

A dynamic finisher, he led Division I in scoring with 33 and 19 assists for 52 points. He was part of the most prolific line in the state, along with fellow Dream Teamer Niall Foster and Ty Turgeon as the Saints earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament.

“Wiswell and Foster carried us all season,” Leach said.

A first team D-I all-star, Wiswell had seven power-play goals and five game-winners.

Dean Pratt

Noble/Wells

The junior turned in the highest scoring season in the program’s history with 30 goals and 21 assists for 51 points.

Pratt was named all-conference in Western Maine Class A and eclipsed the 100-point mark for his career.

“Even as teams started to focus on him, his scoring did not diminish,” said Noble/Wells coach Keith St. Cyr. “He makes us a hard team to defend against.”

Connor Pease

Noble/Wells

An all-conference pick in Western Maine Class A, he also played in the senior all-star game.

Pease was an offensive threat from the blue line with 13 goals and 27 assists for 40 points.

He played on the power play and penalty kill units, and was a plus-44 for the season.

“Connor anchored the defense,” St. Cyr said. “He was not only an offensive force for us, but defensively was tough to score on.”

Liam Darcy

Berwick

The University of New Hampshire commit finished with 23 points on six goals and 17 assists this past season despite missing eight games with an injury.

“He’s the smartest player I have coached at BA in 14 seasons,” Berwick coach Andy Lathrop said of the junior. “His ability to give opposing forecheckers false information and the ease at which he breaks the puck out of our end is uncanny.”

Zane Angelopoulos

St. Thomas

He backstopped the Saints to the No. 1 seed in the Division I tournament.

Angelopoulos posted a 13-3 record with a 2.06 goals-against average, a .925 save percentage and three shutouts.

He received honorable mention in D-I.

“Zane had a great year in net posting solid numbers and carrying us for 16 games,” Leach said.

Cam Crowley

Dover

A first team All-Division II pick, the junior finished with 46 points on 28 goals and 18 assists.

Crowley had seven game-winning goals. He also had three power-play goals and one shorthanded strike.

He had hat tricks against Bedford and Spaulding.

“Seven game-winning goals proved that Cam played best when the game was on the line,” said Dover coach Steve Riker.

Niall Foster

St. Thomas

The primary set up man for Glenn Wiswell, he racked up 32 assists to go along with 13 goals and 45 points.

Foster also received honorable mention in Division I. He was part of the most potent line in the league with Wiswell and Ty Turgeon.

“They were tough to contain throughout the year with their offensive talents,” Leach said.

Lucas Michaud

Berwick

The University of Maine commit, a junior, led the Bulldogs in scoring this past season with 41 points on 22 goals and 18 assists.

“Lucas is a pure goal scorer,” Lathrop said, “but he really elevated his game defensively this year. Lucas was really dependable at both ends of the ice for us.”

Robert Markusic

Dover

Ranked fourth on the team in scoring despite being moved from forward to defense.

Markusic finished with eight goals and 11 assists in 21 games with two power-play goals.

He received honorable mention in D-II.

“(Markusic) converted to defense this season and was a top defenseman in D-II,” Riker said.

Aaron Rancourt

Portsmouth

Productive at both ends of the ice, the Clippers’ MVP and senior co-captain had 20 goals and 34 points to rank seventh in Division III.

Rancourt, a converted forward, was also a first team all-star in D-III.

“His leadership style can be best categorized as performance-based,” said Portsmouth coach Al Brandano. “A talented stickhandler that understood how to create space and time with the puck.”

Luc Ravenelle

Dover

The junior went 15-3 with a 2.25 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage,

Ravenelle was named second team All-Division II.

“Luc anchored our team defense and gave us a chance to win every game,” Riker said.

RYAN MARSH, Noble/Wells — The junior forward had 15 goals and 27 assists and was an all-conference pick in Western Maine Class A. ALEX HOPKINS, Berwick Academy — The senior alternate captain was second on the team with 40 points. CHULLAIN KELLY, Noble/Wells — The two-year captain had 15 goals and 16 assists and was named to the Class A West all-conference team. JUSTIN JEWELL, Spaulding — The junior forward had 13 goals and 20 assists and was named second-team all-conference in D-II. WYATT RICKER, Noble/Wells — The junior goalie went 8-4 with a 2.56 GAA and a .915 save percentage, and was named to the all-conference team in Western Maine Class A. CJ JERRY, Oyster River — The Bobcats’ captain had 21 goals and 22 assists and was chosen to play in the Make-A-Wish senior all-star game.